Iran's opposition

Defiant talk

Iran’s opposition refuses to give up

IT WAS a comment calculated to provoke the Iranian regime shortly before the anniversary of the 1979 revolution. Mir Hosein Mousavi, a leader of Iran's opposition Green Movement and a thwarted candidate in last June's presidential elections, this week declared that the revolution has failed in most of its aims. Mr Mousavi suggested that the revolution has been unable to do away with “the roots of tyranny and dictatorship” in the country and likened the current regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to that of the shah, the unpopular king who was deposed after strikes and public protests.

Mr Mousavi has timed his comments to encourage a new round of anti-government protests that are expected next week. His defiance is courageous in the face of months of intense repression by the government and a particularly intense recent crackdown on opposition members. Late in January two men were executed after being accused of trying to topple the government. Another nine people have been sentenced to death for taking part in pro-opposition demonstrations.

More executions could follow soon. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, a hardline cleric who heads the powerful Guardian Council and is a close ally of Mr Ahmadinejad, has welcomed the latest hangings. He has also suggested that executions early in the post-election unrest would have deterred demonstrators. He has urged Sadeq Larijani, the head of the judiciary, to continue with more executions. Although Mr Larijani has responded by vowing to respect legal procedure, others in the judiciary say that those facing death sentences will meet their fate soon.

Mr Mousavi's statement marks a new line of attack. Until now, despite fiercely criticising Mr Ahmadinejad's re-election, he has continued to support the Iranian system of Islamic government. But his latest comments suggest that he is now willing to challenge the foundations of the Islamic republic. An aggressive response from the government seems likely, with more violent crackdowns on demonstrations expected.

The government has already warned against demonstrations to coincide with the anniversary of the ouster of the shah. Yet some resilient young men and women, especially in Tehran, the capital, are expected to risk taking to the streets again. Mr Mousavi is not alone in encouraging them. Muhammad Khatami, a reformist former president, has called for peaceful protests next week. A peaceful official response is most unlikely.